How To Lose Man Boobs

Previous articlesin this series have dealt with how we can apply the principles pioneered by Charles Poliquin and his BioSignature Modulation analysis in eliminating unsightly love handles and flabby bellies, so now it is only logical that we cast our eyes upwards to perhaps the most dreaded of all localised fat deposits for our AskMen readers — man boobs. Nothing says, or rather screams, unmanliness more than a pair of wobbly “pecs” that would look more at home in a nice lace bra than the buff guy’s regulation fitted Abercrombie & Fitch T shirt.

Even the most uneducated observer knows that man boobs are a prime indication of rampant female hormones and many, many men are finding that simply losing weight does nothing for this problem. Sure, they may lose some body fat but their “moobs” (the new vernacular for man boobs now that they are on the increase — more on why later) remain in the same proportion to the rest of the body. And although I am the first to agree that the world should be diverse and that there is no accounting for taste, despite years of determined field research into what women want, I have never yet known a single female who goes weak at the knees in the presence of a man with whom she could trade bras. That said, it's time to find out how to lose man boobs.

Causes of moobs

The simple answer here is that man boobs are caused by an imbalance between two of the main sex hormones — testosterone and estrogen. More specifically it is the conversion, via the enzyme aromatase, of the male hormone testosterone into the female hormone estrogen. Testosterone is the hormone that should be at the top of all of your wish lists as it is a prime driver for muscle mass, sex drive, and even improves ambition and focus. Estrogen on the other hand, isn’t a friend of your typical AskMen reader unless you are the type who likes to hold hands whilst shopping or “just want holding” after sex. Oh yes, an excess of estrogen will also cause female fat patterning, giving you nicely curvaceous hips and breasts. Yummy, just what every red-blooded male needs.

It is worth noting here that anything at all to do with hormones is never about a single cut and dry issue. The best way to perceive your endocrine (hormonal) system is not as a series of individual hormones, but rather as a complex matrix where any impact upon the one will have an impact upon all the rest. This article is focused primarily on eliminating estrogenic fat problems, and it fits hand in glove with the next piece in this series, where we will take a closer look at how to raise testosterone levels. We can lower estrogen by inhibiting aromatase, but we can also lower the proportion of estrogen in the body by raising testosterone. This is a good strategy for some, but a disastrous strategy for others as excess aromatase will simply cause rising levels of testosterone to be converted into estrogen. So our first step is always to minimise estrogenic issues in those for whom this is a problem.